Mass Effect: The Cold War
by SmiffyHallo
Summary: This is not a story to be taken overly serious, its an alternate universe with a mild Phantasy Star crossover. Reader discretion is advised.
1. Chapter 1: Timeline

Mass Effect The Cold War

In innumerable ages past, Long before the Reaper Cycles, the Milky Way was visited by beings of a vast power. These beings, these Celestials, or whatever you wish to call them, decided it would be "Fun" to rearrange the galaxy a little bit. This tinkering with the stars would later end up having major consequences for sentient life. Aeons later, another race of powerful, but much more mundane, beings created the first real AI. Soon, frictions began to arise, so these beings built another AI. They tasked this AI with finding a solution to the Synthetic-Organic frictions. The AI did this, in the most horrifying way possible. Thus the Reaper Cycles began, and for innumerable ages the galaxy was bled dry of its most advanced races: All according to Plan.

_2040's: Unification Wars on Earth, United Nations victorious over various Third and Second World dissenters. Reorganization of UN to better reflect the new formed Unity._  
_2050: Humanity finds Prothean ruins on Mars. Aside from references to something called the Catalyst nothing is really found._  
_2051: Humanity makes first contact with a small ship from a race called the Neudaiz. Over the next several months the Neudaiz and the Humans try their level best to reach an understanding._  
_2055: Humanity enters into an alliance with the Neudaiz. Soon both races are out exploring the galaxy, colonizing like no tomorrow. Exploration beyond the Gap of Pluto is still impossible, for reasons unknown._  
_2057: Scout ships make contact with yet another race, the Bestar, furred humanoids with limited shape shifting ability. After much debate First Contact is initiated, this time with much more friction than previously, but in the end a new member for the Human-Neudaiz alliance is gained._  
_2076: Planet Rannoch discovered, Quarians, the highly advanced natives of the planet, join the Triple Alliance along with their servants the Geth later this year._  
_2098: The Confederate Systems Alliance is formally formed, with is capitol on Earth. Start of the Great Expanssion Era._  
_2170: Late this year the C.A.S.T. Project is begun._  
_2200: The First Cast created, more are soon built to help their organic masters._  
_2275: The Endrum Collective, a group of humans seeking eternal life perfect the Mind Upload technology. They soon abandon their weak and old organic bodies._  
_2276: Cast Uprising, unknown to the general public the Endrum Collective has gathered arms for over seventy years in preparation for ruling the Confederacy. End of Great Expansion Era_  
_2376: After one hundred years and billions dead the last members of the Endrum Collective are found and destroyed._  
_2476: Centennial Peace Celebrations all over Confederate Space._  
_2478: Charon, the moon of Pluto, is discovered to be a large structure encased in ice. The Charon Relay is activated and a scout ship sent through. Plans to establish a forward outpost in the new system beyond the Gap are immediately put into motion._  
_2481: The new Arcturus Guardian Station is built to facilitate exploration and expansion Beyond the Gap of Pluto. Worrying amounts of ruins are found with evidence of Orbital Bombardment inflicted on many planets._  
_2502: a Jump Gate is Established in the Shanxi system, eliminating the need for the Charon relay when transporting ships and personnel to and from the colonies in the Expansion Region. Also in this year the first A-Photon reactors are tested and found to be up to twenty times more powerful and efficient than regular photon reactors._  
_2574: The Shepard is born. The Divine Maiden declares a great destiny in the young girls future._  
_2576: Centennial Peace Celebrations shattered with the onset of the War of Citadel Aggression._  
_2577: War of Citadel Aggression brought to an end. Beginning of the Cold War with Confederate refusal to join Citadel or share technology as well as refusing to destroy the synthetic members (Geth and Casts). Confederacy agrees to limit dreadnaughts as to Citadel standards, this is done on the grounds that Confederate high command deems Dreadnaughts "Awesome, but Impractical". Confederate Embassy opens in the Citadel. The confederate ambassador notes a disturbing lack of original thought amongst council races, as if they have been groomed towards a specific purpose._  
_2583: The Normandy Project is begun, a joint Citadel-Confederate peace keeping venture, in an effort to warm relations between the citadel and the confederacy. The Normandy promises early on to become one of the most advanced ships ever built..._  
_2589: The Guardian Corp founded in the Confederacy as a trans-species security and rescue service. James Shepard becomes one of its first members. The Shepard is found to be strong in TECHNICS and is given a future place at the finest TECHNIC academy on Neudaiz. The Divine Maiden Fierra dies and is reborn as Mirie Mikuna. Of great notice is the fact that for the first time a twin is born._

_Codex Entries: Cold War_  
_Gap of Pluto_  
_The Gap of Pluto is a vast, seemingly impassable, stretch of dark space separating Confederate and Citadel space. Theorized to be the result of Stellar Engineering by some vastly powerful beings when the stars were young._  
_Jump Gate_  
_Jump Gates are to the confederacy what Mass Relays are to the Citadel, a way for traveling great distances almost instantly. Jump Gates are faster, but much more fragile, than Mass Relays. This could change in the future if Confederate scientists could ever figure out what the hell Mass Relays are made of. The science behind these gates is a closely guarded secret. (think Super Gates from the Stargate SG-1 series)_  
_A-Photon_  
_A-Photons are the more advanced and powerful version of standard photons, when used in Reactors they're able to power entire space stations for eternity. Used on ships to power Linear Shields, giving the shields the staying power to duke it out with Mass Accelerator guns, such as the ones found on Citadel vessels._  
_Linear Shields_  
_The Standard shielding on Confederate vessels, though initially found too weak to stop the mass accelerator guns of the Batarians recent development into A-Photons have increased their stopping power by almost 5000%. Due to current political situation its unknown if this increase is enough._  
_Particle Weapons_  
_Particle Energy Weapons are used by the Confederate Armed Forces. Being pure energy they completely ignore all shields except Linear Shields and other such energy shields. Though not avaliable for commercial sale some Particle Magnums have found their way into the hands of Spectres venturing to the Arcturus Station._  
_Confederate Systems Alliance_  
_The Confederacy is the governing body of the Humans, the Neudaiz, the Bestar, the Casts, the Quarians and the Geth. The confederacy is in complete control of the Slice as well as a few systems bordering Citadel Space. The CSA is currently in a state of Cold War with the Citadel._  
_Neudaiz_  
_Neudaiz is both the name of one of Humanity's oldest and most faithful allies and the name of their home planet. The Planet Neudaiz is covered to 90% with water with islands scattered all over, a planet sized archipelago if you will. Humans have often wondered how a species spread over such distances could possibly unite, a leading theory being the Neudaiz complete lack of the very concept of war prior to meeting humans._  
_As a people the Neudaiz value peace and quiet, pursuing the arts and sciences the universe has to offer rather than war. Physically they greatly resemble humans, the only real difference being their extremely pointed ears (a trait that has earned them the term Space Elves by racists), they tend to be slightly shorter taller than humans, their complexion is pale and they tend to have bright hair colors (ranging from White to Sky Blue and everything in between) with darker colors being rare. Neudaiz live for about 250 years, seemingly never aging past the age of 16 until they hit their final decade, when rapid aging sets in. An interesting note made by the Asari is the fact that Neudaiz find Melding to be extremely painful, no one knows why._  
_Moatoob_  
_Moatoob is the home world of the fierce Bestar, where loyalty to your clan and allies are the way of life. The planet is rich in minerals and ores, and it is upon this the Bestar have built their wealth. Moatoobs climate is arid, except during the Rain season, a period of constant rain. The inhabitants live in vast underground cities to protect themselves from their harsh sun._  
_Rannoch_  
_Rannoch, an arid planet orbiting an older star in the Tikkun system, is the quarian homeworld. During the Cast Uprising the Geth refusal to join the Endrum Collective made Rannoch something of a personal matter for the leaders of the Collective. As a result, some of the heaviest combat took place here. The geth act as caretakers, working to repair the planet's ecology, restore ancient structures, and cultivate some farmland. Rannoch has no insect life. As a result, its pollinating plants evolved to rely on animals for propagation. This symbiosis between flora and fauna is responsible for the quarians' weakened immune systems_  
_Bestar_  
_The Bestar are a furred race of humanoids from the desert planet Moatoob. They are strong, fierce in battle, and loyal beyond reproach. They are quick to anger but just as quick to forgive. Blessed with limited shape changing abilities Bestar excel at scouting and ranging far ahead of the main army. They're even able to take on Krogans three on one when in Beast mode, a trait that has made them highly sought after as mercenaries within citadel space. The lifespan of a Bestar is relatively short, they're considered very old at 50 years and usually die at around 60. Unlike many races they retain their strength their whole life._  
_Humans_  
_Humankind, Humanity, Terrans. Humans are the driving force within the Confederacy, standing at the forefront of pretty much everything from politics to military to commercial matters, they routinely break the established norms around them, constantly pushing boundaries of what's possible. There is a general fear within some circles of Citadel Races that humanity is pushing for renewed combat with the Citadel, though these have so far turned out to be entirely baseless rumors. Lives around 120 years though there are records of humans living to around 150._  
_Quarians_  
_The Quarians, from Rannoch, are amongst the greatest engineers in the confederacy, excelling in creating Starships. Generally they themselves consider the Geth as their greatest creations._  
_Cast_  
_Casts, the heavy hitters of the Confederacy, are a sentient race of machines originally created to aid in manual labor many thousands of them were subverted by the Endrum Collective during the Cast Uprising. Being artificial they have no need for a planet of their own, though they do control some asteroid bases through out Confederate space. They have no representative on the Board of Directors, nor do they desire to._  
_Geth_

_Geth, the first Synthetic life within the Confederacy, these were built by the Quarians for the same reasons as the later Casts: Aid in manual Labour and making life generally easier for their organic masters. During the Cast Uprising, known to the Geth as the Morning War, the Geth did all they could to defend the Quarians, nearly wiping all of them out. They have no representative on the Board of Directors, nor do they desire to._  
_Gurhal Commune_  
_The Gurhal Commune is the leading religion both on Neudaiz and on the Bestar homeworld of Moatoob, as well as being a major religion amongst the humans. Centered around a religious figurehead known only as the Divine Maiden, whom, according to legend, is always reborn at the time of her death. The current maiden is the only one in recorded history to have a twin, the reasons for this are unknown but theories are many._

_Normandy Project_  
_A Joint Citadel-Confederate peace effort aimed at building the single most advanced ship in the galaxy._

AN: Holy Mohlee, I didn't think I was going to get even ONE fav or follow and then I end up getting like, fifty. What on earth? As always, PM me if you think I should add something or if you yourself desire to write a fic based inside the Cold War Universe. There probably won't be anymore written on this timeline, so from now on there will probably just be a bunch of One Shots set within this universe. Don't expect a steady update rate.


	2. Chapter 2: Essay

Relay 314 Incident/War of Citadel Aggression

_"This just in, it appears a Turian patrol fleet has encountered a new species of aliens attempting to activate Relay 314. The commander of the fleet assures me they will have the situation dealt with swiftly. More on this as it breaks." Asari news anchor, start of the War._  
On April 23rd 2576 the seventh expeditionary fleet, heading from Shanxi towards a new system, encountered a new alien species. The encounter was breif and extremely hostile, ending in the complete destruction of the Confederate fleet and the beginning of the War of Citadel Aggression. The Aliens, later known as Turians, traced the confederate fleets vectors towards Shanxi and, following Citadel Law regarding activation of mass relays, launched a strike. Arriving at Shanxi, the Turians found not some backwater new alien species to be taken into the hierarchy, like had happened a few times before already, but rather they found a galactic powerhouse, fully capable of rivaling the Citadel Races. Forced into retreat the Turians called for reinforcements, the Confederates launching a counterstrike of their own. More and more fleets from both sides got involved. The confederates, having enjoyed almost two hundred years of peace since the Cast Uprising, swiftly put their production towards military matters. The Turians and the rest of the Citadel, having lived in general peace for thousands of years, were much slower to respond. Initially thinking the confederates were just some backwater species they failed to take the situation seriously, giving the confederates several early victories. One such victory, the Second battle of Relay 314, resulted in a complete rout of the Citadel fleet sent to "Contain the Upstarts" as the words went amongst the council races. Soon, however, the confederate advance stalled, military losses became harder to replace with each victory. The citadel faced a similar situation, and soon a stalemate occurred. This stalemate was broken by the Turian attack on Carida, a system of great strategic importance recently taken by Confederate forces. While the confederate fleet in orbit was defeated swiftly, the ground forces held out much longer. Finding their ground based foe dug in and waiting for them the Turians and their Auxiliary forces were hard pressed, indeed fighting on Carida would last for much of the war until the Treaty of the Citadel finally brought peace. Afterwards saying "I Was on Carida" would be a bad ass boast on both sides. As the front line rolled back and forth in the open, another type of war was waged behind the curtains, Confederate Special Intelligence Service against Citadel Spectres and Salarian STG operatives. Eventually CSIS gained a vital breakthrough, enabling a direct strike against the very heart of their tenacious Foes: The Citadel Itself. The Citadel Strike was masked by several other feints and strikes all along the front, drawing forces away from the Citadel itself, culminating in the Ninth Confederate Fleet, led by Admiral Zorah, launching an all out strike. Amidst the panic of finding a large enemy fleet right on their doorstep C-Sec failed to noticed the small strike crafts, until it was too late. While fighting valiantly, and let it never be said that C-Sec are cowards, lack of proper military hardware and fighting foes the felt no pain, able to hack their cyber hardware, and able to transform into horrendous beasts C-Sec soon found itself beaten back. Although local Spectres were able to regain some ground the enemy forces were simply too numerous. Thus were the Councillors forced to the negotiation table, the peace which would be signed one week after the Battle for the Citadel, would not be in favor for the Council. It had been the Councillors hope to force a favorable truce, perhaps even bring the newcomers as the latest citadel race. All of these hopes were dashed, the Confederate ambassadors having little to no interest in joining.

Jane Sheppard surveyed her essay with a critical eye and a frown. Perhaps choosing the War of Citadel Aggression as her project hadn't been all that good... Finding unbiased information that didn't blame either side had been stupidly hard. Her mother had said it was the fault of several. The Turians were at fault for not warning about the breach of Citadel Law in the first place. The Asari were guilty of wanting to force a favorable outcome that would strengthen all council races. The Salarians were more interested in obtaining Tech rather than fighting the foe, though granted the war was already well underway before their fighting style could be properly utilized. Meanwhile the confederates were guilty of greatly overstepping its boundaries, though lately it was called a Show of Force, telling the rest of the Galaxy not to mess with them... The resultant Cold War had made a lot of people unhappy, resentment running high on both sides. Every now and then there would be a news report about some border skirmish, lately Batarian pirates had taken to raiding Confederate space... And the Citadel refused to take action. Using the pirate raids to weaken the confederacy some said. Yawning Jane decided to look for more information tomorrow, now it was time to sleep.

AN: Maybe not very good, but its the best I could make. Then again, this is meant to be taken as a sort of In-Universe document written by The Sheppard at a young age, its also meant to show some of her thoughts, for example her desire to be as unbiased as possible in regards to the war and stuff... Sorry, Rambling. As always, PM if you want something added to the Cold War Universe, or don't.


	3. Chapter 3: Confederate Arsenal

Codex Entries, Confederate Arsenal

Please note none of these weapons are available for purchase by civilians.

Lambert Carbine  
The Lambert Carbine is the mainstay of Confederate military personnel, sporting a high end photon reactor allowing it to fire potentially thousands of particle shots before recharge. Its ease of use and low maintenance makes it a good weapon on the field of battle, it's under slung grenade launcher allowing for greater firepower, should the need arise.

Bianchi FA-6 Heavy Machine Gun  
The Bianchi FA-6, the hmg of choice for confederate military when it comes to support weaponry, capable of spewing nine thousand energy particles a minute thanks to its oversized photon reactor. Unlike many machine guns of this day the FA-6 can be picked up and fired on the move in an emergency, as the Turians so unpleasantly discovered during the war.

Bofors SR-4 "Simo"  
The SR-4, unique amongst all of the many particle weapons in that its beam is silent and completely invisible, making it the most dreaded of all weapons in the arsenal of the confederacy. Nicknamed "Simo" by the humans, after some mythical super soldier of old. Whatever the truth about the soldier, the Simo is a force to be reckoned with and should you find yourself in the scope of a sniper wielding one of these, only the Spirits may save you.

Franchi SPAS-60 RDX  
The SPAS-60 is a fairly typical shotgun, though it's the only weapon to use slugs in this arsenal. Dual Mode, High Performance, and as durable as a Krogan. In all, simple yet effective.

Colt P-33 Pereira Particle Magnum  
The P-33 particle magnum is the sidearm of Confederate military, its photon reactor allows for only 8-10 shots before recharge, but these shots are much stronger than those of any other gun found anywhere else. Many a Specter would love to get their hands on one of these, but very few are able to get their hands on one.

Mitchell AV-18  
The AV-18 is the main Anti-Vehicle weapon in the confederate military, sporting an oversized photon reactor it allows for shots strong enough to take out virtually any vehicle it might come across, though its very temperamental and must be allowed to cool between each shot or it risks a complete melt-down, potentially taking its user with it.

V-5 EMP Grenade  
The V-5 is an EMP grenade, devastating against all form of non-shielded electronics it is harmless against organics, though rumors abound about illegal and lethal modifications... Comes in two versions, the 50 MM version, used by the grenade launcher on the Lambert, and the MK-9.

A-8 "Tiger" Heavy Tank  
"The A-8 Tiger is the latest version of the A-series heavy tank division, adding a Non-Explosive Reactive Armor package to its standard composite construction. An additional Active Defense System enables the Tiger to withstand heavy artillery and missile attacks. Increased engine torque and power-to-weight ratio enable the track-based Tiger additional mobility and improved speed across rugged terrain. The Tiger is equipped with a driver-controlled main cannon and a rapid-fire, high caliber repeater at the second position, providing robust firepower against ground-based infantry and armored vehicle targets." - Confederate Spokesman's, regarding the tank.  
A crude, but extremely effective tank, eschewing hover pads for the more tried and true tracks. This allows for heavy armor, and a large rail gun. On the flipside, they are relatively slow making them easy to overwhelm by sheer speed and numbers. Should you find yourself facing one of these, Strafe for all your worth.

Ford MK15 Bandit  
"The Bandit is a quick and agile, high-performance, four-wheel-drive FAV used primarily as a multi-terrain raider. It has been in service prior to 2036, making it very old. It has seen various design alterations during this time for it to remain in service for this long. Armored only with lightweight ceramic elements and Triplex plates, one of the latest aramid fire-resistant synthetic fibers, the Bandit sacrifices protection for speed, equipped with a pulsed plasma thruster, providing short bursts of extreme acceleration. The Bandit is armed with a single, medium-caliber, double barrel, anti-infantry repeater." - Confederate Spokesman, regarding the Bandit.  
The Bandit lives up to its name, being able to make fast strikes against isolated camps and harassing enemy supply routes with impunity, however it is no match for dedicated resistance of any sort, it is a raider, pure and simple. With a crew of five it boasts slightly more firepower than your average raider, but not by much.

Rheinmetall L5 Riesig Battle Walker  
The L5 is interesting; in an arsenal that's simple but effective the L5 walker seems exceedingly out of place. Its high maintenance costs and low speed would make many a military commander balk at using them, but their impressive size, and even more impressive armaments, apparently endears them to both their pilots (who are notorious for never leaving the walker during battle, even if it leads to their death) and military commanders alike.  
Saab JAS-11x Apollo  
The Apollo is the main air/space superiority fighter of the confederate military, boasting high performance, decent armor, shields and heavier than normal weaponry the Apollo is, much like the Tiger Tank, a match for virtually any citadel counterpart. It does, however, lack the punch needed to do anything against larger vessels, though very skilled pilots are able to destroy targeting equipment, these pilots are rare.

Mitsubishi Hammerhead Medical Gunship  
The Hammerhead Medical Gunship is the main ambulance transport in the confederate military, capable of transporting sixty troops in one go and armed with rapid fire point defense guns it is a vital part of the confederate arsenal. It should be noted that attacking one of these, for whatever reason, is considered a war crime.

Douglas S-9-Zero Transport  
The Douglas Zero is a transport ship; it's large, simple yet elegant. With large holding bays for hundreds of tons of materiel, or dozens of fully equipped troops and shields rivaling those of frigates the Douglas Zero is a sturdy and important part of the confederate military.

Supermarine SX-70  
The SX-70 is the lightest, but also the fastest ship in the confederacy. Armed with multiple High-End particle canons and sporting intermediate shielding as well as active camouflage the SX-70 is guaranteed to ruin the day of anyone careless enough.

Yohmei Corp Ihani Class Battle Cruiser  
The Ihani class certainly looks fairly harmless and fragile, but its looks are deceiving to say the least, it outranges almost all known ships and it's almost as fast as ships half its size. Powerful photon reactors, super strong shields and weaponry allows the Ihani class to go toe to toe with even a Dreadnought providing the odds are favorable it might even come out victorious.

TENORA WORKS Titan Class Deep Space Carrier  
The Titan deep space carrier was born from lessons learned during space battles against Citadel dreadnoughts, to which the CSA had only the Ihani to counter, which was not a sure shot. Realizing this, confederate high command knew they needed something else. The Titan certainly lives up to its name, being the largest vessel in the confederate fleet, though still not quite as large as a dreadnought. Where dreadnoughts boasts firepower, shields and armor better and stronger than any other vessel, the Titans are lightly armed and armored, though they sport heavy shields. What makes the Titans dangerous are their range, and their flight wings. Where dreadnoughts are expected to go toe to toe with anything and win, the Titan will sit by the sidelines, protected by its own support fleet, while it launches wave after wave of Firestorms.

GRM Firestorm 6  
The Firestorm 6, like the Titan, is a new addition to the confederate fleet. Armed with deadly dark-matter missiles the Firestorm is designed to fight capital ships, dreadnoughts in particular their medium armor and shields lets them take a decent punch before going down. They are dangerous alone, certainly, but in numbers their true worth shines through. Weaknesses include short range, lack of anti-fighter protection, low ammunition and slow rate of fire.

AN: Yeaaaah... Been quite a while since I last wrote anything for this story. Sorry about that. As always if you think of something to add to an Entry then feel free to PM me and I'll see if it fits into the whole Scheme of it all. Many thanks to Bobywhy for help with the Titan.


	4. Chapter 4: Confederate-Hegemonic Conflic

Confederate-Hegemonic Conflict

The Confederate-Hegemonic Conflict erupted after the Batarian Hegemony funded pirate and slavery attacks on numerous Confederate fringe worlds such as Mughal, and New Athens, in which several prominent members of the Communion of Gurhal were captured. After Hegemonic refusal to return the prisoners, the Confederacy ceased all diplomatic talks with the hegemony. Although the Hegemony was unprepared at the beginning, superior numbers ensured a few early victories for them. These victories however, would ultimately prove to be hollow as the confederate advance could not be stopped for long. The hegemony, not having been in a real war since first encountering the council races had no experience in such matters, and what few pirates they had on their payroll bailed soon enough. In an effort to appease the citadel council, and to prove that the conflict was not a war of conquest, the confederacy did not hold many planets for long, opting instead to hand them over to the council races for safekeeping. Incidentally, this also served to warm relations between the citadel and the confederacy, which had been very frigid since the start of the cold war, making hope for a brighter future. After five years the hegemony finally surrendered, the leadership taken prisoners (those that did not flee that is) and a few worlds taken by the confederacy. The council, though wary about the confederacy taking the worlds, did not complain as the vast majority of former hegemonic worlds were now in their hands. One of the worlds taken by the confederacy was Jartar, a secret research world containing the fabled Leviathan of Dis, claimed by the hegemony to have never existed (despite evidence to the contrary) after it "vanished" after a visit from a batarian dreadnought. The exact reasoning behind this lie is not known, though it's suspected the batarians intended to discover any technological advantages the leviathan might hold and keep them for themselves, perhaps even use them to overthrow the council (or demand a seat) whatever the reason the years of research by batarian scientists was now in the hands of the confederacy instead, though what they might want with it is currently unknown. With the destruction of the hegemony, slavery is a thing of the past, existing only in the terminus systems, and even there it's slowly being phased off. One might wonder why the council never did anything to stop the batarians and their slaving ways, doubtlessly they could have done something? The most logical explanation is that the council could not interfere in a member or affiliate race's internal matter; a trump card no doubt played several times whenever the issue was brought up (see Security Record 214565-B98671 for one such example) but one mistake too many led to the downfall not only of slavery, but also of the batarians as a coherent force (however minor they might have been in the galactic scale of things).

AN: Sorry for not updating for such a long time, real life tends to get in the way of fun, and frankly I had no idea what to write.


	5. Chapter 5: More Recent Dealings

2604 CE

Yohmei Corp. Orbital-Shipyards, 18:08 Local Time

Harbor Master Hassan Al Farhout (XXIII) could only stare in utter disbelief at the requisition order before him. Shifting his stare from the table to Director of Naval Affairs Samuel Boyd he dropped his shoulders. "Is this a joke? We haven't gotten new orders for ships since the Hegemony war, and now you drop this in my proverbial lap?" He asked incredulously, shifting his chair out from the desk and towards the window overlooking one of the drydocks, where several workers could be seen lounging about. "No Joke, I assure you. The Board has apparoved of the commisioning of three new warships." Director Boyd said quietly, his tone indicating that he'd rather not say those words. Whipping back to face the director the Harbor Master continued "And what is with these freakish dimensions? two-and-a-half kilometers long? Half a Kilometer wide? Sure Yohmei Corp is an expert at building honking huge ships, but this is too big even for us. It'll be a month before we've expanded the drydocks to handle this, and who's paying for this party anyway? I doubt its the board, or it would have been done a lot sooner. Say back during the Citadel War." Hassan continued unperturbed, waving at the datapad. "The Communion has raised the necessary funds for this project, apparently the Maiden had a vision of some sort, detailing an invasion of hostile aliens the like of the Leviathan of Dis. She wanted a whole fleet of these ships, but we managed to talk her down to three, citing lack of factual evidence. So you have your orders, from the Divine Maiden herself: Build Two Super Battleships and one Super-Carrier, to be named Yamato, Musashi and Shinano respe-" Boyd said but was rudely interrupted by Hassan "Wait a minute! Yamato? Musashi? Shinano? What, is whoever named them a fan of the IJN or what? Aren't those supposed to be really "unlucky" names for ships?" swiveling in his chair Hassan wanted to laugh, but he had long since run out of mirth. "... Regardless, those are the names, and your orders. I suggest you carry them out, or you will have both the Board and the Communion gunning for you. Y'all have a really nice day now, y'hear?" Tilting his head in mock politeness the director left the stunned harbor master to expand the shipyards and construct the largest ships the galaxy, perhaps even the universe, had ever seen.

2604 CE  
Unregistered Terminus Colony, 87:12 Local Time

Jiak Vorn, local milita volunteer, had never been so scared in his whole life. The Rachni, monstrous invaders from legend had appeared roughly seventy hours ago and cut a massive swath of death and destruction. Just like the stories said. Only now there were no Krogan to combat them, no Citadel fleet to halt their advance. It was just him, and his friends dying as they desperately tried to hold the ancient enemy at bay. Never before had he wished he were on some other colony, quite so strongly. Hell he'd even settle for Omega, atleast there were no rachni there. Firing his precious weapon on two approaching drones (or whatever they called their footsoldiers) but soon found it to not be enough. Luckily for him the only krogan in the entire garrison was nearby to help, quickly dispatching the small group of rachni. Cautiously approaching Jiak figured, if anyone knew what was going on it would have to be Raghs, the meanest s.o.b. in the entire sector. "Raghs! What the hell is going on!? Where are the reinforcements? The Airsupport? Hell, the message for Evac should have been received hours ago!" Jiak shouted over the din of battle, Raghs only pointed to the sky in response. There, in the dark night sky was a shape well known ever since the Hegemony wars: A confederate Titan carrier. '_The Confederacy? Here? We're saved! But... Why aren't they deploying transports to help get us!? Unless-! No. They wouldn't!_' Realization slowly dawning on him Jiak stared as the massive ship just sat there in the sky, searchlights illuminating various firefights.

CSS Alexander, Titan-class Carrier, 23:56 shipboard time.

Fleet Admiral Jeanne DuPrée stared impassionately at the carnage being wrought on the hapless colony by the unleashed Rachni. "So... DuPrée, I hope you have a good reason to pull me away from my duties?" The voice of Director of Intelligence, Johnathan Waber, sounded behind her, much to her annoyance. "Your scheming can wait you moron, come you need to see this." DuPrée said, gesturing to the observation window "What's to see? We've both seen the recordings a hundred times-!" shoving the director towards the window DuPrée interrupted violently "You've seen nothing! Disecting a dead Rachni in a lab is one thing, Unleashing them on a colony is another! Your scheming brought about this colony's fall, the least you can do is observe. Or are you too much of a coward to go into your own mess with both eyes open?" she ground out forcibly, showing her clear distaste for the whole affair. Silently Director Waber stared out the window, uncaring about the lives of hundreds of colonists about to be snuffed out. Why should he care? They were not donfederates. Hell, they were not even Citadel. Just a bunch of independents. "There. I've seen, as you wanted." With that he turned and left. The intercom crackled to life, breaking the seething silence on the observation deck "_Admiral! The Colony will fall in a matter of moments. Shall we intervene?_" Malmsteen, the captain of the ship asked. Pressing down a button DuPrée closed the blast shields over the windows and turned away. "Take us into orbit Captain Malmsteen, I've seen enough." AS the Alexander returned to orbit the rest of the Confederate taskforce began a six hours orbital bombardment with Horizon weapons systems, wiping the colony clean of all life. "Send a message to the Shepard, I have a task for her that she is perfect for." DuPrée ordered as the fleet left the system. Yes, only The Shepard could decide what to do with the Rachni queens. In the meantime, a certain director needed to be dealt with.

AN: Hello Reader! I know I said stuff about this story. Most of the stuff I said is still in effect, the story is still up for adoption and all that jazz. However, I was struck by a sudden bout of inspiration at about 2 AM and had to write this. Also shown here is the fact that, no matter how much I might love my Confederacy, they aren't all sunshine and roses. The Rachni test is pretty much taken directly from the UED use of Zerg on a remote dominion colony (as seen during the Intro for Brood Wars). Regarding the three super sized ships, they're pretty much because I wanted them. S(POILER ALERT!) In the intro for the Illuminus expansion for PSU Karen, posing as Mirie gets a vision of the Seed's return, so I took that and used it to mean The Maiden gets vision if a big enough threat will appear. And lets face it, the Reapers are kind of a big deal, so Mirie got a vision at age 14-15-ish of the reapers, and commisioned the Reaper-Killers. ... Uhhh... Enough Ranting from me. If you liked it, good. If you want to adopt the story, do inform me. Likewise if you happen to write a companion (or Elsewhere) fic please inform me, as I'd love to read such a story. Because ultimately what I'm doing is building up the Confederate half of the Cold War world I've created. Peace Out.


	6. Chapter 6: Introducing

2604 CE

CNN (Citadel News Network) Studio 14, 17:

The thin Neudaiz fidgeted in his seat, his Cast companion informing him time and again that yes, he was most certainly presentable and if he'd just stop squirming he wouldn't make it worse. Clearing her throat the news anchor spoke "Are we ready to begin, Doctor?" hearing her voice Doctor Nowakadi adjusted his glasses (and his Cast assistant smoothed out his hair for good measure) one last time and nodded. "Yes, T'kasi, I am ready." nodding in response T'kasi signalled for the cameras to start rolling "Good Evening Citadel, I am Juno'vas T'kasi, CNN. With me tonight are Doctor Nowakadi Hojo of the Confederacy, here to answer some questions regarding TECHNICS. Doctor, thank you for coming," Brilliant smile for the camera she turned away and towards the good doctor, who gave a small nerveous smile of his own. "Uh... Glad to be here...? I guess?" Nowakadi spoke, obivously having never been in front of a live camera before. "Doctor, let me start by asking the question that most citadel citizens are asking: What exactly Are TECHNICS? Obviously we don't expect you to divulge any military secrets" T'kasi said, hoping very much that the good doctor WOULD divulge miltary secrets. "Well T'kasi, TECHNICS are technological devices, discs currently though we're working on updating the format, that lets a user with the right training harness his or her latent psychic powers, in a way similar to the Asari Biotics though less restrictive." Nowadaki spoke, gaining some obvious composure now that he had something to talk about that he actually knew. "As they are based on the latent psychic ability, non organic individuals such as Casts and Geth are completely unable to use them. On the other hand, Synthetics are gifted in other areas instead."

Meanwhile, Confederate Embassy Waiting Hall

Dr. Liara T'Soni watched the ongoing interview with one of the leading confederate scientists with interest as he went on to describe some of the various TECHNICS. "Doctor T'Soni? The Ambassador will see you now." the voice of the Cast secretary Lyla Lay caught Liara's attention "Ah. Yes, thank you Lyla." Getting up Liara headed towards the doors leading to the ambassadors office, passing Quarians, Neudaiz, Bestar and Humans, but aside from Lyla no synthetics. Entering the office of Ambassador Jarvik Vash she paused slightly uppon seeing a large Bestar by the window behind the ambassador. "Doctor T'Soni, thank you for your patience. I have good news for you. Your request to conduct archeological research in confederate has been approved. Which brings me to my next point. This is Major Leonardo Vinci, he'll be in charge of your security detail while you are in confederate space." Vash, the pale blonde haired ambassador smiled at her. "My Greetings to you Doctor T'Soni, your theories behind the vanshing of the Prothean race are most interesting." rumbled the good Major, voice deep and forceful but not unkind. "Unless you break Confederate law I don't forcee any problems arising during your time within the confederacy. Do you have any questions for me or the ambassador right now?" the Major asked, a fanged smile gracing his beastly face. "Ah, just one off the top of my head: Why a Security Detail?" Liara asked "Well, partly due to the current political climate, you are afterall a member of a diffrent political entitiy. But, most planets you intend to visit during your research are listed as class five worlds, they are dangerous to outside life for various reasons. Further, a humanocentric terrorist group calling themselves Terra Firma Hominis, are liable to target you. We don't expect them to actually do anything, so the detail will mostly be with you for show." Vash answered "If there is nothing else? No? Then, your ship is slated to leave for Arcturus Station tomorrow morning, the major and the rest of your assigned security will meet you outside docking bay 94." Seeing that the ambassador was obviously busy with other things she took her leave to make the final preparations for her journey.

Citadel Presidium, Last Round bar 15:06:

The old-style rock music permeated the air of the bar, the many conversations between the patrons kept private enough. Spotting his target Garrus Vakarian made his way over to the lone human drinking some likely alcoholic beverage. "Wolf. You said you had some info for me?" Wolf, which was not actually his name, looked up when Garrus made himself known. "Officer. Yes, I have information for you. And boy howdy is it big. The guy you're after? Turns out his name is Dohgi Mikuna. Sound familiar?" Wolf gave a predatory grin watching realization dawn on Garrus' face. "Dohgi Mikuna? You don't mean that guy? Its just a coincidence right?" Garrus asked, though he hoped it really was the guy. "Nope. Its him alright. Saintly Dohgi. Gentle Dohgi. Father Dohgi. Turns out, he's a monster." Wolf said quietly, sliding over a datapacket. "This contains everything you need to bring him to justice. Make him pay for his lies and betrayals Officer. The Communion is getting a bit too high and mighty, this should shake them up." taking the datapacket Garrus nodded and left the bar to review the information. Wolf remained in his seat, knowing full well he had given C-sec, and by extension the Council, the means of arresting and potentally executing a high ranking Confederate and Communion official. But, he knew the Guardians couldn't do it, and local planetary law-enforcement forces didn't have the authority. Not for something this big. "Nä, fyfan säger jag bara." Wolf said in his native language as he drained his drink and got up, only to come face to face with Kai Leng. "Oh. Its you. What do you want, Leng? Better be important, I'm trying to kill enough braincells to remove the memory of Akuze." Wolf said, disdain for the Whisper operative clear in his voice. "You have something that belongs to the Father. He wants it back. Surrender the datapacket to me now, or face the wrath of the communion." Leng said, sneering in a supperior way. "... Really? Re- Fucking Really? You think I would take a bomb like that with me to a public drinking place? Wow. I can see why you failed the cut." they both knew what Wolf meant, Leng felt his wrath bubbling close to the surface. "Last Chance lieutenant, hand over the datapacket." Training his army issue Pereira over Wolf's heart Leng snarled quietly, finger itching to pull the trigger, to remove this stain on the Fathers honor. But he couldn't. Not until he had the packet well in hand. "Don't have it." the words shattered Leng's little murder fantasy like glass "I already gave it to C-Sec. Within a week Dohgi will be brought to justice, and there is nothing you can do to stop it." in a flash Leng found out the hard way that a a strike from replacement limbs was painful as Wolf's gloved hand smashed into the side of his head, sending him tumbling ass over into the bar, smashing quite a few expensive bottles in the process. Clearing his head from the pain induced disorientation Leng found his gun to be in Wolf's other hand, as well as seventeen other guns aimed at him. "This is a nice gun. It must have cost you, what? A hundred grand, something like that?" Wolf said, inspecting Leng's favorite gun in amusement. "Unlike you I don't kill unarmed civilians. Not even those who deserve it. So run along, Leng. And pray we never meet, because if we do I will kill you." Wolf said, crushing the gun in his hand and tossing the remains at Leng's feet before leaving the bar.

AN: Yeah... I don't know what to say about this. I hope to high heavens that I made Garrus and Liara justice, but I haven't played the ME games enough to know. As for Leng, he's apparently a big douche and mentally unhinged so I don't care if I made him justice or not. Regarding Lyla and Doctor Nowakadi's Cast aide being on the Citadel despite the No-Synthetic rule, Lyla is the only permanent one on the Citadel, and she is only allowed to stay at the embassy, and the aide is quite clearly harmless. Wolf is the sole survivor of Akuze, and incident that in this universe was much bigger than just a small colony and a squad of marines. If I ever feel like I have the ability to write about that, I will. But as it currently stands I don't think I can do it justice, not by a long shot. As always, read and review please. PM me if you have questions, or the like.


End file.
